Canadian Bacon, Potato, and Swiss Chard Gratin

Grated Gruyere cheese melts among ribbons of leafy Swiss chard and slices of Canadian bacon and potato. The dish bakes until the cheese on top is a crusty golden brown.
WINE RECOMMENDATION:Merlot would be a marvelous choice to accompany this hearty dish. The wine has a fair amount of tannin, but that's easily handled by the bacon and cheese, which will accentuate the merlot's plummy flavor, too.

directions

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately low heat. Add the Swiss chard and cook until starting to wilt, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until no liquid remains in the pan, about 2 minutes.

Butter an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or similarly sized gratin dish. Layer one third of the potatoes in the dish and top with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, a third of the cheese, and half the Canadian bacon. Spread the Swiss chard in a single layer. Top with half the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread half the remaining cheese and the remaining Canadian bacon over the potatoes. Add the remaining potatoes to the dish, sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and top with the remaining cheese and 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the chicken broth over all.

Cover the gratin with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes before cutting.

Recipe reprinted by permission of Food and Wine. All rights reserved.

RecID 1361

nutrition information per serving

These nutrition facts are calculated according to the ingredients listed in this recipe. Any substitutions will change these facts. Although we strive for accuracy, please note that food manufacturers occasionally change their food formulas, which could affect the calculations as shown.

5 reviews

Back Bacon or Ham Steak instead

This is an excellent recipe. I am really not an aficionado of any kind of bacon except back bacon (cured boneless pork loin), which I used in this recipe. I also made up a batch using ham steak instead of bacon which was extremely tasty.

Great recipe, but a touch salty

The Swiss-ham/bacon combo is a classic and the chard tweaks it in an interesting, healthy way, but I'd omit the 1/2 tsp. of salt; there's more than enough in the cheese, meat (any type of processed pork will do), and broth to carry the recipe. I'm going to substitute a light beer for the broth and maybe cheddar for Swiss cheese to see where that leads (query if the chard will remain), but this is a good receipe in itself that leads to several other possibilities.

Yummy!!

Easy to make and really good. This one is destined to be a favorite. It will make it into "Ye Olde Familie Cookbook" (my own favorite recipes)along with my grandmother's spaghetti sauce and our favorite struesel coffee cake.